It's A Complicated Relationship
by kcabfy
Summary: It was a love-hate relationship. They said they couldn't handle it. She kicks him, he screams at her, they call it quits. They were so full of each other but it was too late to stop it now. "So this was what was going on between the two of you, huh? Behind all those glaring and calling names, there was actually a romance brewing? Wow. I should have known!"
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys! So lately Clato has stolen my heart and I've been reading some amazing fan fictions and I couldn't help but to write one myself. I love to write so… why not, right? Anyway, One Direction's Little Things inspired this. Originally this was a two part one-shot for Louis Tomlinson and Eleanor Calder and I decided to convert it to Clove/Cato because the love/hate relationship kind of fits with Clato so…yeah. I hope you like this two-part one-shot and please review and let me know what you think!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Clove gently closes her door to her apartment before twisting the lock and hung her jacket on the rack with a sigh. Her senior year in high school has been a major pain in the ass. From her end of the year paper that was due by next week, to the upcoming "election" battle for her politics class, Clove hardly ever went out to have fun. She was either in her school doing some extra study or she's just in her apartment…still studying. Her friends had been encouraging her to go out but Clove always refuses.

And then there's Cato Ludwig and the gang.

Clove couldn't quite put a finger on it but she just always finds her blood boiling with just a single glance of his hair. She didn't if it's because of his overwhelming arrogance, or the way he thickens up the seductiveness in his tone even more every time he talks to her. Clove feels like she hears fingernails scratching a board every time the boy opens his mouth to speak. Or maybe it was the fact that he thinks she's no fun that Clove is willing to use all her willpower to prove to Cato that she can be a carefree girl as well.

This weekend, Clove decided, will be the downfall of one Cato Ludwig once she gets to prove to him that she's fun, and had always been fun. Just never had the chance to show it.

Reaching for her backpack that she placed on the kidney-shaped coffee table, Clove decided to call her friends to come over because of her said "mission" for the weekend. Scrolling through her massive contact list, she decided to start with her friend Jackie Fox. But even before she could hit the green phone button, her doorbell rang.

The raven-haired beauty rolled her eyes as she let a groan escape before answering the door. She peeked through the peephole and noticed that no one was outside. Clove's features scrunched up in confusion. Thinking that it might be the hunting kit she ordered online, she opened the door anyway.

For the second time, there was no package…or any sign of who could've rung her doorbell. Clove was about to close the door to proceed inviting some friends over, when Cato Ludwig suddenly jumped out from behind the bush completely surprising the girl.

"Cato!" Clove shrieked. "How dare you do that? I thought I was gonna be attacked or something."

Cato let out a guffaw causing for his right arm to absently wrap itself around his soon-to-be aching stomach. "Relax, Clove. Why you gotta be so waspish?" He questioned.

Clove's eyes grew wide and her mouth hung open in disbelief. "I am not waspish!" She yelled before slamming her door shut, but failed due to Cato preventing it from completely closing with his hand and foot.

"Come on, Clove. Don't be so angry." He pleaded.

"What do you want anyway?" The raven-haired asked. "A better question: what are you doing here?"

Cato allowed himself in to Clove's apartment. To his surprise, she didn't object. "I figured you're gonna be alone so I asked the boys to come with me." He answered.

"The boys? You mean—"

"Hello Clove!" Suddenly, four other boys came barging in the room with huge goofy smiles plastered on their faces. Clove couldn't help but flash a small smile at Marvel who stood behind everyone, his cheeks turning into a slight shade of pink.

Her features suddenly transitioned from a soft and friendly expression into complete anger. "What is it you're planning now, Ludwig?" She gritted through her perfectly aligned teeth.

Cato tilted his chin upwards and flashed a smile. He crosses his arms over his chest. "Ahhh…nicknames. The start of a great relationship, don't you think?" He teased.

"Shut it, Ludwig."

"There it is again."

Clove mentally slapped herself for letting the hideous nickname slip out of her mouth. _I wasn't supposed to say that,_ she thought. In an attempt to avoid any further insults, she escaped to the kitchen.

"Anyway," Cato started, not planning to break any conversation with the vicious girl. "Like I said, I thought you're gonna be alone so I brought the guys with me to keep you company."

Clove turned away from her cupboards to look at Cato, who is now leaning against the granite countertop. "Well, I suggest you 'scram off' because I recall you mentioning that I don't know how to have fun, so why bother spending your precious weekend with someone _boring_?"

Once again, Cato let out a laugh. "Aw, come on. It was meant to be a joke."

"I didn't take it that way." Clove muttered.

After Clove had mentioned that, Cato didn't know what to respond with. He was planning to give her a witty comeback that would leave the gorgeous raven-haired speechless, but it turned out to be the other way around.

To end their awkward silence, Marvel stepped in holding up a couple DVDs. "Hey, how about a Toy Story marathon?" He suggested.

Clove's eyes flickered away from Cato and landed right into Marvel's. "I'd love that." She commented before grabbing some chips and joined the boys in her living room.

* * *

"You guys aren't gonna leave me alone, aren't you?" Clove interrogated after the third Toy Story movie was over. She was standing in front of her television with her hands on her slim waist.

The five boys shook their heads in response.

"Not. A. Chance." Cato said.

"If your intention in coming over was to keep me company, you can leave now. Besides, I was going to invite my friends anyway." Clove informed.

"Why so?" Cato asked.

"Does it really matter, Ludwig?" _Why am I always slipping?_ Clove thought to her as she bit down on her lower lip to stop herself from taking it back, because doing so would only make her obvious.

"I take it you like calling me that, Fuhrman?" Cato teased.

Clove narrowed her eyes as her jaw started tightening. If it can happen in real life, Cato thinks Clove already has smoke coming out of her ears.

Sensing the augmenting tension between the two, Peeta finally stood up from his spot on the couch and placed himself between Cato and Clove. "A nice bonfire outside sounds so pleasant to me. What do you think?" Peeta said as he wrapped his arms around the two. He glanced to his left: "Cato?" Then to his right: "Clove?"

"Like I have a choice." Clove mumbled before stepping away from Peeta's arm.

* * *

The bonfire hadn't even been set up yet so Clove felt chills down her spine as soon as a small breeze flew by. She wrapped her arms around her tiny frame as she rubbed them up and down in a steady pace.

"You look cold." A voice came up from behind her.

Clove turned around to see who it was and smiled when she realized it was only Marvel. "Yeah, they are taking way too long." She answered.

"Here," Marvel said as he started to remove his hooded sweatshirt and handed it to Clove. "Wear this."

"But you're gonna get cold." Clove commented.

Marvel shook his head. "I won't mind."

Clove gave him a small smile. "Thank you."

"I'm sorry about the guys. Gale and Finnick are having a competition in which I don't know what is and they don't want to enlist Cato's survival skills. So yeah, they're taking too much time." Marvel explained.

Clove just had to laugh at what Marvel had told her. Even though they weren't that close, she knew for a fact that Gale and Finnick loves to challenge each other. Hence the commotion that always happens on school grounds.

"Marvel! I need your help!" Cato called from Clove's apartment.

"Well, I guess Ludwig—" Clove rolled her eyes with a smile. "—Needs help." Marvel said and then to Cato: "I'm coming!"

Clove watched as Marvel scrambled off to help Cato inside.

"Are you two done yet?" She asked Gale and Finnick, who were still having major problems with the bonfire.

"Almost there, Clove."

* * *

After Marvel and Cato had finished whatever they were doing inside, Gale and Finnick are still not yet done with the bonfire.

"You two are unbelievable!" Peeta exclaimed from behind the huge cloud of smoke produced by the grill. "I mean, what's so hard about starting a bonfire?"

As soon as Peeta finished his sentence, Gale and Finnick's protests filled up the atmosphere. They suddenly sounded like two bickering teenage girls. They went on for like a minute until Cato raised his arms up to stop his friends.

"Stop! Gale and Finnick, just help Peeta with the grill and I'll handle the bonfire." Cato announced.

Clove watched Cato carefully. As hard as she try to deny to herself, she was kind of impressed with his skills. She wouldn't actually consider it as a skill since anyone can start a bonfire with ease. But still…she couldn't help but let a smile appear on her face because of it.

"What are you smiling about?" A man's voice suddenly filled Clove's ears.

She glanced to her right as soon as she felt Finnick settle down on a chair beside her. "What are you talking about? I wasn't smiling." Clove denied.

Finnick purposely bumped his shoulder against Clove's. "Admit it. You're smiling because of Cato, am I right?" Finnick teased as they both continuously watched Cato starting the fire.

The raven-haired girl let out a sigh before turning to look at the boy beside her. "Okay, I admit. I can't believe I'm saying this but…I'm somehow impressed."

Finnick chuckled. "You know what? I always remember my brother and his wife every time I see you and Cato together." He muttered.

"How come?"

"Because this was how they were when they were teenagers. My brother was a show off, always trying to impress her with his talents and skills. While his wife acted just like you. She pretended she wasn't impressed at all, but on the inside she really was." Finnick explained.

Clove and Finnick caught sight of Cato looking at them. She was pretty sure she can see Cato glaring at Finnick but he seemed oblivious to it as he gave the blond a wave, in which Cato returned with a small faux smile.

"I wouldn't say Cato is being a show off. I mean, I can tell that he doesn't like me." Clove tried to hide the sadness in her tone but only half-succeeded.

_Why am I acting this way? Or feeling this way?_ She thought.

Finnick let out a booming laugh that all the boys turned to look at their direction. "Oh Clove, if you only know." He mumbled under his breath, hoping Clove wouldn't hear it.

Unfortunately, she did.

"If I only know what?" She questioned.

_Shoot,_ Finnick thought.

Noticing that Finnick hasn't spoken for almost two minutes, Clove sensed the guy wouldn't be giving out any further details. And so, the persuading began. "Come on Finnick, just tell me."

Finnick knew he couldn't resist the raven-haired girl so he might as well just finish what he had started. He glanced around to check if he was in a safe distance from the guys. He leaned closer to Clove but kept a safe space so the boys wouldn't get suspicious.

"I promised I wouldn't say anything but since you are so good at persuading, I guess it's your turn to keep quiet." Finnick started. "Okay, here's the real deal—"

"Just get to the point, Finnick!"

"I was getting into it before you decided to interrupt."

"Okay. I'm sorry. Go on."

"Cato told me that before our senior year ends, he'll make sure that…hey, can you grab me some of those chips?" Finnick said.

"Yeah, sure." Clove answered as she leaned sideways to reach for a bag. She handed it to Finnick.

After exactly fifteen seconds, a thought crossed Clove's mind. She playfully hit Finnick's arm. "Hey, you're trying to get away from our conversation! You thought I was gonna forget it that easily." She complained. "Just tell me, Finnick."

"Fine." Finnick sat up straighter. "He'll make sure that he will always try to impress you so that before this school year ends, he'll have you as his girlfriend before somebody else does."

Clove's jaw dropped. She wasn't expecting those to come out of Finnick's mouth. She was expecting something like an insult or probably a prank Cato had been scheming for a year for her. But no, it wasn't all that. It wasn't even close.

Despite all the new information that clouded up her mind, one line stood out for her. _Before somebody else does. _Clove wondered who it could be.

Seeing that Clove was deep in thought, Finnick took the opportunity to escape. But even before he could do so, he felt a hand on his wrist and he was soon being pulled back down to his seat.

"Wait. Who is this 'somebody else' Cato's referring to?" Clove interrogated.

"I feel like I'm betraying the guys by giving it all away." Finnick muttered.

"You already are, the moment you started talking to me about Ludwig." Clove replied. "Don't you _dare _say something about it." She scolded as she noticed that he was going to comment.

"Do you really want to know?" Finnick asked.

"I do." Clove replied. "Wait. Does Cato know who it is?"

Finnick shook his head. "But he knows somebody else likes you. I mean he knows somebody else from the five of us likes you. You know, other than him."

"Do you know who he is?" Clove asked.

"As a matter of fact, I do."

"Who is it?"

Finnick shook his finger. "You ain't getting it that easy, young lady." He said.

"But—"

"You have to find out yourself."

"At least give me a clue!" Clove demanded.

"Okay. Here's one: he is closer than you think." Finnick patted her knee before standing up. "Tell me if you have it figured out." With that, he walked away leaving the girl deep in thought.

* * *

Clove hasn't moved from where she's say for minutes now. After Finnick had given her a clue that is as confusing as a labyrinth, she just couldn't comprehend the meaning of it. Sighing, she gave up. She just couldn't figure it out.

"Finnick!" Clove called.

"He's in the kitchen." Gale informed her, as he happened to walk by.

"Oh, thanks." She stepped in to her apartment and immediately headed for the kitchen. She ran up to him as soon as she caught sight of the guy.

Finnick smirked as she finally reached him. "Have it all figured out, Clove?" He asked.

Clove shook her head. "No, I've been thinking about it for a long time. I mean, aside from Cato because I already know that he likes me, there are only three of you that are single. I thought it was gonna be easy but…I guess I was wrong." She explained.

"Here's another clue—"

"Please let it be easy." Clove practically begged.

"Oh it is so easy you're gonna get it right the first time you guess."

"Okay."

"Clue number two: you are actually wearing his jacket right now." Finnick hinted.

Five seconds. _Five seconds_ was all it took for Clove to realize who it was.

"Marvel."

* * *

The same time Finnick and Clove were having their conversation inside; Cato had finished making a s'more for Clove. He was grinning from ear to ear as he carefully walked towards where she's sat, trying not to drop the two-layered s'more. But his smile faltered once he saw she wasn't there.

"Where's Clove?" He questioned.

"I think I saw her going inside." Peeta answered, shoving a mouthful of s'more.

Cato nodded at him before walking towards the sliding door that led to the inside of her apartment. As soon as he entered, he realized that Finnick and Clove were having a tête-à-tête. He tried to make out some of the words but hopelessly failing for Finnick and Clove were half-whispering to each other.

And then Finnick bombarded her with _that_ question.

Cato was planning to leave his spot but as soon as Finnick had asked her the question, he found himself crouching down to hide from them as he eagerly awaited Clove's answer.

* * *

"With all honesty, answer this question for me Clove." Finnick said.

"I can't promise." She simply stated.

Ignoring her response, Finnick proceeded with his question. "If you were to choose between Cato and Marvel, who would it be?"

A deafening silence followed after.

* * *

Cato's fingers were crossed as his ears were itching, begging to hear Clove's reply. But all that there was is silence. Thinking that she wouldn't even answer the "moment of truth" question, Cato went out of his hiding spot only to hear Clove's voice.

"Welllllll…" Clove started, holding out the L.

"Well?" Finnick asked.

"Honestly, I don't feel anything towards Marvel. I only see him as a brotherly figure and I just don't want to break his heart…" Clove responded. "I-I don't know, Finnick. I don't think I can give you an appropriate answer."

Finnick gently slammed his hands against the countertop with a huge grin on his face. "But you just did!"

"What?"

"By saying that you only see Marvel as a brother, you just chose Cato over him!" Finnick exclaimed delightedly.

Clove started shaking her head in defense. "No, no. I didn't mean it that way." She explained.

"Come on now, Clove. There's no denying it now." Finnick said.

"Even if it's true, I can't. I mean I can't…go out with him." Clove blurted out.

"Why?" Finnick asked in complete confusion.

Clove stared at him for a long time before looking away. "I…I better call Jackie and ask her to come over." She said before making her way to the living room where she left her phone a while ago.

* * *

Clove came back out to her backyard with Jackie following closely behind. She noticed all the guys were seated in a circle around the fire.

"Hey, I want you all to meet my best friend, Jackie. I know some of you have probably already met her, but I believe _Mr. Marvel _haven't yet." Clove said, obviously hinting on something.

It didn't take long for Finnick and Jackie to catch on.

"I know what you're trying to do, Clove." Jackie whispered before walking over to Marvel and introducing herself.

Clove let out a sigh of contentment as she sat between Gale and Peeta and across from Cato. She caught him with a flirtatious smile and Clove pretended she was disgusted by it.

_Finnick was right. We really are like his brother and his wife,_ Clove thought.

Suddenly, a strumming of a guitar was heard and all the guys grew excited.

"Little Things, yeah?" Finnick suggested.

Receiving everyone's approval, he went on and played the first chords of the song.

"_Your hand fits in mine like it's made just for me. But bear this in mind it was meant to be_…" Peeta sang.

It was a song Clove hasn't heard of yet. She figured it might be an original composition of the guys. With their soothing voices, Clove leaned back on her chair as she shuts her eyes closed.

"_I'm in love with you, and all these little things_…"

She opened her eyes only to find them locked with Cato's.

"_You can't go to bed without a cup of tea. Maybe that's the reason that you talk in your sleep. And all those conversations are the secrets that I keep though it makes no sense to me_…" Cato sang. Throughout his verse, he managed to keep Clove's focus on him only. She never turned away and he was happy for that.

As for Clove, she thought the song was so cheesy and romantic at the same time. Never has it ever crossed her mind that boys like them would sing a song like this. But then again, these guys can be unpredictable. You'll never know what you're in for next.

"_You'll never love yourself half as much as I love you_…" Clove listened as Finnick started his part.

From there on, the song was mellifluously sung.

* * *

Clove wouldn't admit it but she actually had fun. The moment Cato sprung out from behind the bush, she thought that this weekend might just be the worst of the worst.

But it was always the other way around.

As her friend Jackie waved goodbye to her and had ended up climbing into Marvel's car, Clove noticed Cato walking back to her.

"Hey." Cato greeted, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Hey."

"I was wrong about you. You were actually the opposite of what I thought you were."

She reached out to ruffle his hair. "Same here, Ludwig. Same here."

* * *

**** TO BE CONTINUED ****

**Let me know what you guys think by leaving me a review! I promise you, part 2 will be more interesting as there will be some untold stories from what happened in this chapter. *****Wink, wink***


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for those 4 people who reviewed the first part! I appreciated that. Without any further ado, here's part 2!**

It's been two months since the weekend at Clove's apartment took place. A lot of things can happen in the said time span. The seniors finally graduated from high school, Marvel and Jackie became an official couple (surprise, surprise!) and Peeta finally found romance in the body and soul of one Katniss Everdeen. Most importantly, in those two months left of high school, Cato Ludwig finally scored a date with the ice queen, Clove Furhman. Well…accidentally.

* * *

_"Clove, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you on our graduation." Cato said, trailing behind the fuming raven-haired girl._

_ Since Cato graduated with a major in performing visual arts, he was assigned to make a short film about high school life. Almost half of the video consisted of him and the four boys and the remaining parts of the video were just random hallway moments or classroom moments. Some of them were from assemblies and the part where Clove dreaded the most, a video of her during the same weekend she spent with Jackie and the five boys. It showed a clip of her being dared by Gale to do a challenge against Finnick. They were asked to finish a whole can of soda in one swig and in the end; Clove couldn't help but to let an un-ladylike burp escape. It was horrifying in Clove's opinion. Her eyes literally went wide as soon as it was projected on the big screen. She slowly sunk down on her seat while the rest of the graduating seniors continuously laughed at the clip._

_ Clove stopped dead in her tracks and swiftly turned around to face the boy who had been following her like a lost puppy ever since the video was shown._

_ "I was actually going to accept the fact that somehow I consider you as a friend, but you ruined it all!" Clove fumed._

_ "I'm really, terribly sorry. If you want, I'm going to go down on my knees just for you to forgive me." Cato replied. He did meant what he said because as soon as he realized that Clove would continue to ignore him, he bent down on his knees and glanced up at the girl with pleading blue eyes._

_ Clove glanced at her surroundings and noticed that some students had already gathered to see the scene unfolding before their very own eyes._

_ "Oh my gosh, is he proposing to her? I didn't know they were a couple." Clove overheard one girl mumbling to her friend._

_ Realizing that their position literally looked like Cato was proposing to her, she motioned for him to get to his feet. "Cato, get up. People are starting to think you're proposing." She informed._

_ "What? Proposing? On two knees?" Cato replied disbelievingly. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" _

_ "Just get up." She hissed._

_ Instead of standing back up, Cato remained on his knees as he slowly shook his head. "I won't until you forgive me."_

_ With a sigh and a single eye roll, Clove muttered, "Fine. You're forgiven. Now up you go!"_

_ Cato briskly got up to his feet with a lopsided grin on his face. "Really? You forgive me?"_

_ "Yes."_

_ "Really?"_

_ "Yes."_

_ "We're friends now?"_

_ "Yes."_

_ "We're gonna move on and forget about the film?"_

_ "Yes."_

_ "Will you go to the end of the year dance with me?"_

_ "Yes."_

_ Realizing what she had just said, Clove immediately regret everything and used all the power she could muster to take it all back._

_ "No! You heard it all wrong, Cato. I meant to say no." Clove protested._

_ Cato shook his head with a smile. "Yes means yes, Clove. You said it so you're coming to the dance as my date." He replied._

_ "But you don't need to have a date on that one!"_

_ "In my world, you have to have one." Cato teased before turning to his heels and trotted away._

* * *

"I cannot believe I'm going to this stupid dance with that stupid boy!" Clove complained as she and Jackie unloaded Marvel's car.

Jackie stifled a laugh. "You need to take a chill pill, Clove. Being his date doesn't mean you have to stick with him the whole time. He just needs someone to go with." She explained.

Suddenly, Marvel emerged from the driver's seat. "Oh Clove, I forgot to tell you. Cato told me to remind you that he wants you next to him at all times tonight. He doesn't want you out of his sight." He informed.

"What!" Clove shrieked. "But—"

"Ah-ah. Not buts' honey." Jackie interrupted.

"So, you're on their side?" Clove questioned, hands on her hips.

Jackie rubbed her chin as if she's thinking about it. "Not exactly." She replied with a wink. "See you around, darling!" Marvel snaked his arm around her waist as they headed towards the venue's entrance.

Clove watched the lovebirds flee with a stunned expression on her face. With one last huff, she finally entered the venue.

* * *

Clove had been at the dance for an hour already and still no sign of Cato. The girl uncrossed her arms as she headed back to the refreshments table for what seemed like the nth time that night. She was starting to get bored. Occasionally, she would spot her friends and they would make small talk before their dates snatch them away. Just as she was deciding to leave the pointless dance, she spotted a familiar blond beauty across the venue, sitting alone at a table.

It was Glimmer Rambin, Marvel's ex-girlfriend.

Clove and Glimmer weren't really that close. Glimmer is Cinderella in a glass slipper as Clove is Cinderella in combat boots. So to say, the blond is more of a girly than the other. They weren't exactly the type of girls you would see having sleepovers and getting their nails done together. Marvel had only introduced the two of them to each other once. It was during a mutual friend's party sometime backing in May. Their relationship didn't last very long. After their little introduction, that was it. She would always greet Glimmer in the halls every time she would pass by her. It was Clove's way of showing respect and maybe a little friendship. Glimmer would always politely reply or smile back in return.

That was the only connection or contact they have of each other, until now. Clove strode across the venue to join Glimmer, out of boredom. The girl looked up at Clove as soon as she got to her table.

"Hey." Clove started, flashing Glimmer a friendly smile.

"Oh. Hey, Clove." She greeted back.

"Why are you alone?" Clove questioned.

Glimmer gave her a shrug in response. "He said he's going to grab a drink and twenty minutes after, he never came back. I'm pretty sure nobody takes that long to get a drink." She explained.

Clove pursed her lips together. "Well, at least your date actually showed up. Mine decided to forget that he asked me to this dance and now I'm alone." She complained. "I knew I shouldn't have come."

She may have only whispered it but Glimmer was able to hear her despite the blaring music.

"No!" Glimmer literally shouted.

Clove's head tilted to the side, wondering why Glimmer suddenly burst out and started getting fidgety and jumpy.

"I…I mean, you should be glad you came because…because it's the end of the year dance. Who knows? This might be the last time you'll ever get to see your friends." Glimmer smiled after for she was proud of herself for the white lie she made up on the spot.

Clove nodded in agreement. "You're right. I might have been stood up but who cares? I should be enjoying this night as much as I should." She replied.

_Perfect,_ Glimmer thought to herself with a smile.

* * *

The five boys including Jackie and Katniss Everdeen, Peeta's newfound girlfriend, were huddled up together backstage. Cato had sent a friend to keep an eye on Clove. He was planning to surprise the girl once he gets on stage to perform but as his friend told him that Clove was planning to leave soon, they all sent Glimmer to keep Clove in the venue.

They were all thankful for Jackie to enlist Glimmer in their plan. They knew that Jackie and Glimmer didn't get along very well due to Marvel being the blonde's ex-boyfriend.

After a moment of silence, Jackie spoke up. "Do you think this would work?" She asked.

"Because there's a possibility that Clove wouldn't even spot Glimmer." Katniss added.

Suddenly, Marvel's phone started ringing. He fished it out of his pocket to see who his caller was. He looked up from his phone and glanced at his friends with hopeful eyes. "It's Glimmer."

"Well…aren't you gonna answer it?" Gale questioned.

Sighing, Marvel pressed the answer button and placed his phone to his ear. As he was busy trying to hear Glimmer through the loud music, everyone watched as Cato waited for the conversation to cut short so the boy would be able to tell him if his plan succeeded.

Cato's heart sped up more as Marvel finally put his phone away and had turned his attention to him. After three seconds of staring and deafening silence, a smile crept up on Marvel's face. "Boys, grab your microphones and guitar. We have a lady to sing to." He announced.

Cato now had a huge grin on his face as Marvel gave him a pat on the back and had handed him his own microphone.

* * *

Glimmer had successfully dragged Clove by the stage, reasoning that they should at least get a good spot for the "most awaited" performance of the night.

"What performance?" Clove asked but didn't bother to wait for Glimmer to explain everything because as soon as the lights went out, Clove knew exactly the answer to her own question.

"Yeah!" Clove's eyes grew wide as she recognized the voice.

"Uh-huh." Again, another familiar voice.

"One, two, three, four!"

For the first time that night, Clove finally saw Cato. Black skinny jeans, a white button-up shirt and a pair of his signature Vans replaced his supposed to be end of the year dance suit. Clove couldn't help but smile at his chosen ensemble.

Gale stepped forward as he opened the song.

**[Gale:]**

**She sneaks out in the middle of the night, yeah**

**Tight dress with the top cut low**

**She's addicted to the feeling of letting go**

**Oh-whoa, let it go**

Clove watched as Cato made his way to her side of the stage and made sure he has all her attention before he started singing.

**[Cato:]**

**She walks in and the room just lights up**

**But she don't want anyone to know**

**That I'm the only one that gets to take her home**

**Oh-whoa, take her home**

Clove wondered what Cato had meant when he sang those words to her. As if on cue, she suddenly remembered.

* * *

_It was the night of Madge Undersee's party back in May. Johanna Mason had invited Clove. She shared a class with her freshman year of high school and they had been paired for numerous projects so they basically consider each other as friends._

_ After mingling with people she'd never met before and had already been introduced to Glimmer by Marvel, Clove was pissed off drunk. She knew her limitations when it comes to alcohol but tonight was totally an exemption. Madge Undersee sure does know how to throw an extravagant party._

_ Stumbling through Madge's backyard door, Clove had finally accomplished her mission to get some fresh air. She placed a hand on the doorframe to support her intoxicated body as she closes her eyes and inhaled the forest-y scent of Madge's backyard. Clove spotted a chair by the poolside and decided she needed to take a seat and rest her wobbling legs. But on her journey to her chosen destination, the raven-haired girl tripped on her own foot and was so close to falling face first on the pool._

_ That's when she felt a pair of strong arms circled her waist and prevented her from falling completely on the water. She silently thanked whoever it was that saved her._

_ "Oh my goodness, Clove Fuhrman. You are so drunk. Let me take you home." A man's deep voice sounded in her ears._

_ She tilted her head upwards to see who it was and realized it was Marvel. She started laughing. "Why aren't you drunk? If I know, Marvel Quiad wouldn't turn down alcohol." She asked._

_ Marvel rolled his eyes._ "_Touché."_

_ He guided one of Clove's arms around his neck and started to gently guide her towards his car. The girl then realized what was happening and in a blink of an eye, she started to shove Marvel away from her._

_ "Clove. Clove, look at me." Marvel instructed as he continuously blocked Clove's punches and shoves._

_ "No! Where's Cato? I want Cato!" Clove demanded, out of the blue._

_ "Cato's drunk too. He can't take you home." Marvel answered._

_ "Take me to Cato. Where is he?"_

_ "No. Clove, look at me." Marvel succeeded in catching Clove's face and had made her look him in the eyes. "You are pissed, snockered. Cato is too. Two drunken people in one car aren't such a good idea. That's why I stayed sober. I'm the designated driver." He explained._

_ The alcohol had completely taken over her and exhaustion soon followed after. She didn't know how she'd done it but she managed to fall asleep while standing. With Marvel supporting her head, of course._

_ "Great." Marvel muttered as he slowly carried Clove bridal-style and made his way to his car._

_ That night was a lot of things. Drunken people everywhere, random hookups from left to right, people passing out, and almost everything anyone can imagine. But that night meant something to Marvel. It wasn't because he became everyone's driver; it's because it was the night that he realized that maybe…he was falling for Clove Fuhrman._

* * *

Clove snapped back to reality. She glanced up the stage and realized that she missed the chorus due to her drifting off to la-la-land and that Finnick was already on his part.

**[Finnick:]**

**Maybe she's just trying to test me**

**Wanna see how hard I'm gonna work**

**Wanna see if I can really tell how much she's worth**

**What you're worth**

And there goes Cato again with the same look he had given her before.

**[Cato:]**

**Maybe all her friends had told her,**

"**Don't get closer, he'll just break your heart"**

**[Finnick:]**

**But either way she sees in me**

**And it's just so hard, so hard**

**[Marvel:]**

'**Cause every time I tell her how I feel**

**She says it's not real**

**(One, two, three, four!)**

**[All:]**

**She's not afraid of all the attention**

**She's not afraid of running wild**

**How come she's so afraid of falling in love?**

**She's not afraid of scary movies**

**She likes the way we kiss in the dark**

**But she's so afraid of f-f-falling in love, love**

* * *

_ After the five boys had finished their football duties, they met up with Jackie, Katniss and Clove inside the university. Jackie stayed due to practice for dance state competition, Katniss with the same reason although she's not going to be dancing but singing (Deep in the Meadow song?), and Clove? Well, Jackie asked her to watch her practice._

_ Clove rolled her eyes and decided that looking at her nails seemed interesting as she noticed Cato smirking at her as he walked towards where she's sat._

_ "Oh look who decided to join us, boys." Cato joked._

_ "Stop it, Cato." Clove snapped._

_ "Where's the endearment you decided to give me last week, Clove?" Cato pouted at the girl._

_ "I decided it was horrible and I still need to come up with something more hideous." She answered._

_ "Well, I have a new nickname for you, Clove."_

_ "What?"_

_ Even before Cato could speak out the name, Katniss decided to stop him. "You two, do you always have to fight with each other?" She asked._

_ "Well, he started it." Clove said._

_ "No, I did not!" Cato protested._

_ "Yes, you did!"_

_ "Stop!" Marvel screamed, his voice echoing through the empty hallways. "Since you guys are being so immature today, I made a decision that we should too."_

_ Everybody turned to Marvel in confusion._

_ "What do you mean?" Jackie asked._

_ "I think we should play hide and seek!" Marvel exclaimed. "Whoever I'll get to tag first will be the seeker." He looked around and tagged the nearest person he could find, which was Gale._

_ Even before the poor boy could react, everyone ran away to find his or her hiding spots._

_ "Aw, man." Gale whispered to himself before he started to count to thirty._

* * *

_ Clove haven't gotten that far from Gale so she could still hear him counting. She silently thanked herself for not taking Jackie's advice to wear heels today for she would be making a lot of noise in the hallway, just like Katniss, who was forced to do so. But the girl took hers off in an attempt to not give Gale any clues as to where she could be._

_ "Thirty!" She heard Gale exclaim and her eyes widen for she haven't found a hiding spot yet. Out of panic, she went inside the nearest janitor's closet and gently and silently shut the door._

_ Clove slowly inched away from the door to hide in a corner when she unintentionally bumped into another person's body. The short girl let out a glass-shattering scream in surprise. She reached for anything that she could hit the person with, but the hand on her wrist stopped her from doing so. But it didn't stop the girl from screaming though._

_ "Clove, hey. It's me Cato. Don't scream. Gale will hear us." Cato whispered to her._

_ The screaming resumes._

_ "Clove stop!"_

_ "AHHHH—"_

_ Suddenly, the room grew quiet as Cato reached for Clove's face and did the second thing he could think of to stop her: he crashed his lips onto hers. He smiled as the girl was finally silenced._

_ Clove knew the kissing should be stopped. She knew at least one of them should come to his or her senses and put a stop to whatever they were doing. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. For some apparent reason, as much as she knew that she was engaged in a lip lock action with the guy she hates the most, she was enjoying every minute of it. She loves how their lips were on auto-mode as it moved synchronizing with the other. She loves the fact that his lips felt like heaven against hers. She knew he was enjoying it as much as she was so she set aside the fact that she should pull away._

_ Both of them were so busy kissing the other that they became unaware of the sound of footsteps coming closer to the janitor's closet that they were in. Before they knew it, the door swung open and there stood Gale with the cheekiest grin on his face._

_ "So this was what was going on between the two of you, huh?" Gale teased. "Behind all those glares and calling names, there was actually some romance brewing? Wow. I should have known!"_

_ Clove's expression was like a deer in the headlights. Her eyes seemed liked it was going to pop out of its sockets. She staggered up to her feet, an explanation already forming in her mind._

_ "No Gale, it's not what it looks like!" Clove started._

_ "I saw everything, Clove. You and Cato are a couple. You two can now drop the 'I hate you' act for good." Gale said with a smile._

_ Clove glanced back at Cato as if she's asking for back up. But the boy did no attempt to do so._

_ Gale shrugged before shoving his hands in his jacket pockets. "Or if you want, I can keep your relationship a secret." He suggested._

_ "We are not together!" Clove protested._

_ "Admit that you two are a couple, or I keep quiet? It's your choice, Clove." Gale replied._

_ The raven-haired glared at Gale as she carefully thought over the options the taller boy had given her. Both of them were no good choices for her but Clove rather has Gale keep his mouth shut about the kiss than admit that she was in a relationship that doesn't even exist._

_ "Keep your mouth shut." Clove muttered before walking away._

* * *

Clove found herself glaring at Gale as the memory took over her. She knew the song was written for her so she assumed that Gale didn't keep his mouth shut. Besides, she knew the guys would ask why they wanted to put that line in their song.

**[Gale:]**

**What about all the things we say?**

**Talking on the phone so late**

**I can't let her get away from me**

**Oh, whoa**

**[Peeta:]**

**When I say that I can't do it no more**

**She's back in my door**

Marvel gave Finnick a small tickle at his side causing for him to laugh accidentally as he held up the microphone to his mouth to prepare for the chorus.

After the boys had finished their song, people were starting to disperse. Turned out, the boys were the closing act. Cato caught sight of Clove with Jackie and Katniss at the foot of the stage.

"Hey, uh…can I talk to you for a second?" Cato asked.

Clove looked back at her friends as if to ask for approval and Cato was positively sure they were giving him knowing glances.

"Sure, I guess." Clove replied.

Cato grabbed her hand and led her outside of the venue, which basically was the parking lot.

"So…what is it you wanted to talk about?" Clove asked.

"I believe I haven't explained myself to you yet. So I'm going to do that now. I know that you know I like you…a lot, and I also know for a fact that you will choose me over Marvel—"

"How in the world did you find out? Wait. Was it Finnick? I knew that boy wouldn't be able to shut his mouth." Clove gritted her teeth.

"No. Finnick actually did a great job of keeping your secret. I was there that night. I was listening in to your conversation." Cato explained.

Clove pressed her lips together with a sigh. "I'm not even going to comment on that. My anger right now is through the roof and the only way for it to cool down is if you keep talking." She ranted.

A smile formed on Cato's lips. "Anyway, aside from the fact that you're hot…you are funny, confident, scary and loud. You basically have everything I'm looking for in a girl." He explained.

"And…?"

"And I like you for that." Cato finished.

Clove tapped her chin with her fingers in thought. "Well, let's see…aside from the fact that you're so hardheaded, arrogant and annoying…I actually think you're pretty funny, outgoing, loud and for the lack of a better word, cute." She blurted out, copying some of Cato's earlier sentences.

Cato suddenly lost the ability to speak, like his entire vocabulary was swept out, so he just flashed an ear-to-ear smile at the girl in front of him.

"What?" She asked as she noticed him staring at her.

Finally, Cato managed to voice out a couple of words. "I thought you hated me?" He questioned.

Clove scoffed. "Why do you think I'm still here talking to you? Or hanging out with you when I can just completely ignore you?" She asked.

"Peer pressure, maybe?" Cato shrugged.

"Why do you think I kissed back when I can just shove you away?"

Cato once again gave a shrug as a response.

"Are you catching on, Cato? Do you know where I'm going with this?" Clove asked.

Expecting that another shrug was what she's going to get from him again, Clove was taken aback when Cato grabbed her neck and kissed her for the second time.

After they pulled away, Clove gazed up at him confusingly. "What was that for?" She asked.

"Oh, you were taking way too long with all your words and stuff so I decided to cut to the chase." Cato replied. "Besides, I knew this would end up with a kiss anyway."

"Damn right, Ludwig." Clove muttered before standing on her toes and planted yet another kiss on his soft lips.

* * *

**So I hope you guys liked this better than the first one because I so did. Oh and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE leave a review because they are HIGHLY APPRECIATED and I would like to know what you guys think about this. If I get more reviews, I will be posting a new Clato songfic :)**

**Thanks!**


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